The book traces the development of western philosophy from the pre-Socratics through Plato (whom he rates as one of the two greatest philosophers) through the Middle Ages to the English empiricists including Immanuel Kant (the other greatest philosopher in his judgment) and Schopenhauer to Bertrand Russell and his epigones and finally to Karl Popper. Statue of Plato, Credit: vasiliki / Getty Images Magee learned much of his knowledge of philosophy as a student at Oxford, but a primary thrust of the book is to discredit what he calls “Oxford Philosophy.” He avers that philosophy at Oxford veered away from the most important issues of the field (in his view, understanding the real world) and emphasized epistemology at the expense of ontology. Thus, while he tells the story of how he came to be so invested in philosophy, he also explores, in an entertaining and accessible way, the ideas of many great philosophers throughout western history. This book is couched in a biographical framework, but the author explains its actual aim is to explicate the teachings of many of the world’s great philosophers. He writes that his true love is philosophy, but he also had to earn a living. Bryan Magee’s career has included producing highly intellectual television programs for the BBC as well as teaching philosophy at Oxford.
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